By Jack Wagner, JDRF One Walk, Silicon Valley, Committee Member

Last year at this time, the name Livongo Health began popping up in conversations among members of the JDRF One Walk Silicon Valley planning committee. The consumer digital health company is a JDRF One Walk sponsor with a large corporate Walk team, yet little was known about their work or history. As time went on, details about the company began to emerge and I was able to get the full story from two of the company’s team: Manny Hernandez, Livongo’s SVP, Member Experience, and Sarah O’Brien, People Manager.

Livongo (pronounced “Liv-on-go,” a play on “Living on the go”) is based in Mountain View, CA. It is led by Glen Tullman, the former chief executive at Allscripts (which he took public in 1999), and backed by top venture capital firms. Livongo is using technology to reinvent the way chronic conditions are managed, beginning with diabetes. For its employees, the impact of its work is personal.

“We have a number of employees who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and probably every one of us has either an immediate relative or friend or family friend who is living with diabetes,” said Manny.

According to Sarah, what is unique about JDRF One Walk is that not only will Livongo employees be invited, but their family and friends as well. She sees it as a great opportunity to expand the personal connections of people at Livongo and blur the lines between work and life that so often form. She says you can feel the excitement building and see just how different groups of employees prepare for a major event like JDRF One Walk. Last year, the company offered small incentives like a week of free lunches for the employee who raised the most money. Token prizes, but enough to light the fuse of friendly competition.

“We’re very grateful for Livongo’s continued partnership with the JDRF One Walk Silicon Valley, happening this year on October 9 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Their leadership in helping to make a difference in the lives of people affected by T1D is very inspiring to our community,” said Heather Jenkins, JDRF One Walk Manager. In addition to participating as a Walk team, the company is generously sponsoring the Walk as a Sprint Partner at the $10,000 level.

Livongo has incredibly dedicated and hardworking staff, and this is shown in the product they have built. The In Touch is a cellular, connected glucose meter with a touch screen that allows for easy access to blood glucose readings, trends, and messages. The device connects automatically to the cloud where data is analyzed and returned with actionable suggestions depending on the reading. All the while, users are given access to a care team of certified diabetes educators who can provide insight into readings and tips on how to better manage diabetes. They also check in on users when readings are out of a safe range.

The Livongo team makes sure that they find ways to connect with each other even though they’re hard at work helping people with chronic conditions like diabetes live better. Part of this means getting out of the office once in a while to have fun. Manny and Sarah see JDRF One Walk Silicon Valley as a great way to accomplish just that.

Livongo was recently named as one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s “10 Health Companies to Watch.” Click here to learn more about Livongo.

Register for the JDRF One Walk today! walk.jdrf.org